The Lorturors' Revenge
by ZuriaMaylin-MoreSincereThanMax
Summary: So I have a forum and this is what we've come up with. The minor gods are sick of being thought of as minor and are rebelling under the name, "Lorturor." Sorry, most of this is Natsandr...
1. A New Spy

The girl with the green eyes knelt at Alissa's feet. _This is why I'm the leader,_ Alissa thought. "Rise, Iris."

It was the first time the girl had been called by her codename. Her eyes gleamed with happiness as she stood to face her new leader.

"I swear, you will not regret this," Iris promised.

Alissa nodded. "I had better not."

There was a loud bang as the Protector burst into the room. "Winter! They found her!"

Alissa nodded again. "Do not execute her. She won't be able to live with the shame."

The Protector bowed his head and left.

Alissa turned to Iris. "Will you be our new spy at Camp Half-Blood?"

Iris's face lit up. "I would be honored," she replied.


	2. James and Ivy

Ivy sat in her favorite tree, looking down at the campers enjoying their daily lives. Life had beaten the daughter of Hades down fairly low, but she showed it almost no satisfaction. She had inherited her soft, curly hair and her chocolate skin from her mother, the same mother who had thrown her out because she was a "child of the devil." She wasn't, really. She was just a child of Hades.

James Brosing, son of Ares, was practicing his sword work.

Ivy sighed, shadow traveling to the arena, where she began wordlessly to spar with James.

Natalie entered the arena. "What's the party?" she asked. "Can I join?"

James ignored the girl, focusing on his battle.

Natalie knew he'd dismissed her, so she humphed, her strawberry blonde hair flying out behind her as she flounced away.

Isi walked into the arena, her magic fan in hand. She opened it snowflake-side out, and it became a three-foot-long Celestial bronze menace.

Natalie turned back to Isi. "Hey! Can I train with you? Grumpus over there has NO MANNERS!" she added pointedly.

Isi smiled. "Sure! Hack the dummies? First to destroy three wins?"

Natalie laughed, showing off her smile once more. "I guess so!"

James sat by himself, staring out at camp. At the same time, Ivy was on the cabin steps, drawing in her sketch pad.

James walked up to her. "Hello," he said. "Would you care to spar?"

Ivy shrugged. "That sounds cool. I would like to." She sighed.

James pulled out his Claymore. "Ready?" he asked.

Ivy nodded. She turned her necklace into her javelin and got into her stance.

James swung his claymore in a great heave, aiming at her shins. Ivy jumped in the air and kicked off James's chest and back flipped. Then she swung her javelin at his shoulders all in one motion. James was struck by the javelin, his chainmail trenchcoat blocking the damage. He then did one of his favorite moves—swinging the Claymore around in a fury of speed and power.

Ivy slowly backed away. She had her javelin out in front of her as a way to protect her. But James's Claymore knocked it out of her hand.

James stopped spinning and held the tip of his sword against Ivy's throat. "Do you concede?" he asked.

"Not this soon," Ivy hissed. She held out her hand and a skeleton warrior appeared and pulled James off of Ivy long enough to let her get her weapon.

James was surprised, but he acted accordingly. He swung around and shoved the skeleton to the ground, stomping on its head.

That was when Ivy made her first mistake. "Oh no!" she yelled, dropping her javelin. "Don't hurt it!"

James smirked. Being a warrior meant shutting off emothions. He whipped around and stomped on Ivy's javelin head, rather than the skeleton's. Ivy panicked. She was totally lost. That's when she made her second mistake. She tried to run.

James stopped her easily and picked up her javelin, which was now slightly deformed in the head. "I take it you concede now?"

"Okay…I really suck," Ivy sighed. "And why did you mess up my weapon?"

James shook his head. "No use crying about it. Besides, I can train you if you want."

"Oh, um, sure," Ivy said.

James took off his trench coat, revealing his toned chest to the world. He began running through combat stances, scars glistening in the sunlight.


	3. Meanwhile at Camp Bifrost

Thorgil came romping out of the woods, chased by some of her closest friends, Slasher, Wolf Bane, Hel Hag, and Shreddie. Laughing as the dogs barked, she tackled Slasher, and the other dogs piled on top.

Layne strolled over slowly, muttering under his breath. He was talking to the friend only he can see, a goddess by the name of Weth.

Thorgil looked up to see Layne strolling towards her. Her eyes narrowed, but she went back to roughhousing with her friends.

Layne came closer, finally noticing Thorgil as if she'd dropped from the sky. "Oh, hi."

Thorgil looked up into shadow. She momentarily panicked, then realized that Layne was blocking the sun. "Hey."

"What…what are you doing?" Layne asked.

"Um, how do I put this…?" Thorgil pretended to look for words. "I'm wrestling with my friends."

Layne snorted. "Wow, this may be the first time I've been glad _not_ to be considered someone's friend."

Thorgil looked offended, but shrugged. "Sure, be that way."

"You know I didn't mean that," Layne said.

"Yeah, maybe." Thorgil cracked a grin. "So, who were you talking to? In accordance with the prophecy, of course."

Layne laughed at the inside joke the two of them had shared since Layne got here at age 10. "You know who," he said. "Weth, duh."

"Right." Thorgil mentally face palmed.

Layne saw the look in her eye when she was face palming, minus the actual physical movement.

Thorgil knew when he knew what she was thinking. _Oh, we know each other too well…_Thorgil chuckled and hefted her ax. "Let's go decapitate some dummies."

"Really?" Layne asked in mock surprise. "Boy, am I surprised. Well, the people up there need some more work to do. I think they're still sweeping up the ashes from what happened last time…" he teased.

"What?" Thorgil said defensively, rolling her eyes. "That was the _dragon_, not me. It's not _my_ fault Bonecrusher wanted a snack. C'mon." Almost laughing, Thorgil walked up the hill to the training grounds, Layne and the boarhounds at her heels. She checked to see that Bonecrusher the dragon was not in the training arena, walked inside, bidding her large canine friends to stay outside. She then hefted her ax and chopped the nearest dummies into bite-sized chunks. Not that she was going to eat straw and cloth.

Layne grabbed his bow and nocked an arrow, expertly shooting a bullseye from roughly fifty yards. He grinned at Thorgil. This was a new trick he'd been working on. Thorgil grinned and nodded in respect of Layne's expert shooting. She then pulled her dagger out of her boot and threq it, hitting the bullseye right next to Layne's arrow. Thorgil raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for praise.

"Are you freaking serious?" Layne muttered, though his face didn't show anything more than bored indifference.

Thorgil huffed and stalked over to the target, miffed that she hadn't gotten the praise she was expecting. She yanked her dagger out of the bale of hay, also taking a second to grab Layne's arrow. She returned and dropped the arrow at Layne's feet.

Layne quickly reached down and picked it up, examining it. _Whatever_, he thought, putting it on the table for the smiths to sharpen. He wanted so badly to give Thorgil a hug like when they were younger, but he knew that it was different now. He settled for a pat on the back.

Thorgil waited for anything. _Anything_ that would be taken as an apology. But nothing came. She found herself longing for it to be like when they were kids, mistakes so easily forgiven and nothing could come between them. _Ugh. Not being a kid sucks._ Thorgil accepted Layne's pat and moved over to a training dummy, proceeding to hack it to pieces. Thorgil stopped abruptly, the sound of wings beating in the air. She straightened up, an idea striking her. "C'mon." She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the training arena, out into the empty field. She gave a loud taxi-cab whistle and waited.

Layne, in the meantime, turned red, staring at his hand. He also sort of wondered what Thorgil was up to this time.

Thorgil didn't notice, then froze, cocking her head at the sound of massive wings. She looked up into the sky and let out a wind laugh at the sight of Bonecrusher, the camp dragon. Bonecrusher was red as rubies, despite the Montanna setting. Bonecrusher came straight from the Old Land itself, and Thorgil had become one of the few people that could handle circled them from above, drifting lower and lower, then landed with a jolt and stared at Layne with intense, firey eyes. He then turned his head to Thorgil, who rubbed his chin, keeping her grip on Layne like a vice. It was a good thing she was so strong, too, or Layne would've been out of there in a heartbeat.

"Hey Bonecrusher. How ya doin' boy?" Thorgil looked over Bonecrusher, especially pleased that his saddle was on. _Layne couldn't ride without a saddle._Thorgil laughed, then pulled Layne onto the dragon's back behind her, then fastened the leg restraints so that they would not fly off mid-flight. Thorgil looked back and noticed his fearful expression. "Oh, c'mon Layne. Don't be such a baby." She leaned foreward and whispered to Bonecrusher, "Let's show him all we've got." Bonecrusher leaped into the air, snapping out his wings and thrusting up into the sky.

"I'm n-not a baby," Layne stammered, having quite the opposite effect.

Thorgil let out a wild laugh as they soared into the clear Montanna sky. She whooped and Bonecrusher began a series of airial (Sorry, forgot how to spell) acrobatics, looping and cork-screwing through the air. Bonecrusher soared to a high altitude and flew toward the ground, fast. Layne was almost scared by the evil laugh. He held on so tightly he thought his fingers were going to fall off. He was shaking harder than little old Frigg. Thorgil tapped Bonecrusher's side, then he pulled up as the ground neared, banking to the right. They glided over the mountains of Montanna, and Thorgil sighed in content. Layne relaxed a little, putting his hands on Thorgil's shoulders.

Thorgil spotted something of importance below, but did not alert Layne that anything was wrong. She merely tensed her shoulders, calculating her next move. Layne felt the tension in her shoulders and quickly took his hands off, wondering if he'd done something wrong. Thorgil looked back at Layne and apoligetically smiled, then tapped Bonecrusher's spine twice. Bonecrusher descended slowly, gliding downward. He landed with a small jolt, and Thorgil undid Layne's leg straps. Layne felt himself tensing for a fight. He knew one was coming-he had seen that almost indiscernible tightening around Thorgil's eyes-but he didn't say anything. Thorgil undid her own leg straps and slid off, motioning Layne to do the same.

He slid off as well, thought considerably not as gracefully as Thorgil, ripping a pant leg on a dragon scale. "You think people will notice the _dragon?_" Layne whispered.

"Yeah, but not for long." Thorgil said, swiftly mounting Bonecrusher again. "Til hemmelige oppgaven, oh mektige en kamerat." _I go to a secret task, oh mighty a friend. _Bonecrusher launched, then soared out of sight over the mountains.

"Selvfolgelig er du det," Layne replied, shaking his head. _Of course you are._

Thorgil and Bonecrusher returned to the spot they had last seen the object of importance. The object had been a giant harp, and ever since she had first seen it, it kept moving around the woods, disappearing at one point then coming back at another. Thorgil jumped off Bonecrusher's back and walked up to the harp, settling into a curve in the frame. Then she began to play. Her sweet voice warbled out into the wilderness, and the birds fell silent. The only sound was that of the harp and Thorgil's voice. Even Bonecrusher had fallen silent. Tough as Thorgil was, she also had a softer side, but not that she let anyone see her like this. This was _her_time, and not even Layne was allowed.

Layne always knew what she did during that time. When he was little and was a lot more curious about her, and a lot less afraid of what she could do to him, he would follow her here, and watch.

But now it was different. He stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled around, listening to the stillness and the almost-not-even-there sound of Thorgil's harp.

Bonecrusher snorted, breaking into Thorgil's thoughts. She jumped up, noticing the low position of the sun, scrambling back onto Bonecrusher's saddle. _I played too long...oh gods..._They rocketed back to camp, and Thorgil jumped off before Bonecrusher even touched the ground, rolling upon impact and coming up on one knee. She found Layne walking around and ran up to him. "Sorry I'm late. Has dinner started yet?"

"Over five minutes ago," Layne said. "Don't worry, we can make the Andhrimnir kids give us something."

Thorgil face-palmed. "Alright. Sorry I spent so long-" Thorgil broke off, not wanting to reveal her "secret" pasttime. She looked up, a crazy grin on her face. "Let's go make the Andhrimnir kids give us a feast." She sprinted up the hill and dashed into the kitchen.

It didn't take long for either of them to get food fast. It never did. Lots of laughs and inside jokes were shared. "Hey, Thorne of Fire," Layne teased as they walked away from the kitchen.

Thorgil let out a wild laugh. "Oh, don't remind me." she teased back.

Layne grinned. She was so beautiful when she laughed. "Origami is for paper only..."

"That was all you, Layne." Thorgil pointed a finger at him then clutched her side, the pains of laughter getting to her. "I can't breathe... Hahaha."

He started laughing. "I know it was me."

"I will not touch, smell, or taste the chairs." she said, trying in vain to keep her face straight.

He busted over laughing, holding his side.

"I'm smarter than Petra," Thorgil said with a grin, "what about you?"

Layne's smile dropped. "Yeah. Petra. Smarter."

Thorgil sobered, instantly knowing that she'd struck a nerve. "Layne, I'm sorry." Thorgil hugged Layne, trying to comfort him.

Layne tried to regain his composure. "It's okay." He stiffened at her touch, patting her back uncomfortably. "Remember when I went on that quest a few years back? And how we said Petra had gone missing?" Layne began. "She hadn't. Skoll freaking _mauled_ her." His eyes began to itch, but he swore to himself that he would not show weakness, especially in front of Thorgil.

Thorgil remembered, and did something that probably surprised Layne: she teared up. "I-I'm sorry, Layne. I hadn't known." Thorgil buried her head in Layne's chest, not wanting him to see her tears. Thorgil sighed. _This is how it should be. _Thorgil closed her eyes, feeling a warm bliss creep through her. "Layne?" she muttered.

"Shh," he whispered. "What is it?"

Thorgil blushed, not knowing how to put what she was feeling into words. "I-um, I like you. Er, um, yeah."

He smiled a little, watching the tears in her eyes sparkle like diamonds. "Me...me too."

Thorgil smiled, looking at the alternate side of Layne's words. "You like you too?" she joked, grinning at her "cleverness".

He smiled gently. "No," he told her softly. He leaned in closer. Thorgil blushed, then kissed Layne. Thorgil blushed even deeper when she resurfaced. But she was happy, truly happy, for the first time in years.

Thorgil wanted to stay that way forever, but the sun had set and she was getting tired. _And_she still had to do her chores. With a sigh, Thorgil gently released herself from Layne's embrace, then walked to the stables to feed the creatures there. Once Thorgil was finished with her chores she went to her cabin and collapsed on her bed, falling asleep nearly instantly. She was blessed with dreams, but those dreams soon turned to nightmares. Twice Thorgil had waken up in a cold sweat to fall asleep again and have another dream turned against her.

And Layne- Layne had the dream that Petra was back-Petra, who had died! Petra, who he had seen and known she couldn't have survived. She was telling him about some weird Greek goddesses and a quest to find them. He really didn't care.


	4. A Tense Friendship

River dove into the sea, looking to escape from her lonely existence. Swimming among the reefs, she felt at home in this other world. A curious school of brightly colored fish enveloped Riv, obscuring her in a glittering cloud of color. Riv thought of her home, and the fish read her mind. They gathered into a formation of cliffs and canyons, and Riv smiled. _Oh, how I wish to just live among the fish,_ she thought.

James noticed the girl diving into the sea, but he ignored that fact; she was probably a daughter of Poseidon.

Riv popped her head above water and saw the position of the sun. Oh, wait, there was no sun, it was already night. Silently cursing, Riv climbed out of the water and headed to dinner.

James swung his sword at a practice dummy, the head unfortunately being chopped off and sent towards Riv.

"Hey! Watch it!" Riv's eyes flashed silver, and she gave a violent shudder. Then she started to march toward James, almost like a zombie. Riv's eyes turned tri-colored—gray and blue and green all at the same time—and she blushed a deep crimson. "I-I'm sorry…" Riv frantically tried to think of an explanation, but finding none, she spun around and dashed off toward the dinner pavilion. Still embarrassed, Riv sat down at the Poseidon table, hiding her face behind a wall of strawberry blonde hair.

After a dinner of super lean-cut barbecue and some watermelon, Riv headed to the training area. Pulling out her sword, she started to hack the dummies to pieces, venting all of her emotions. _I really CAN'T afford to phase out again…_

Deciding wearily to get some sleep—possibly also bored of the empty training area—Riv silently crossed the moonlit grounds and entered the Poseidon cabin, again reminded how alone she was when she saw her three male cabin mates—Percy, Tyson, and Aleksandr. She climbed in bed and waited for sleep to find her.

Riv got up and stood by her window, taking in the beautiful winter night. _Gods, it's hot...worse than The Terrace..._Riv pulled on some jeans and an orange t-shirt, then slipped out the window. Then she ran toward the stables, hoping to soon escape from the heat. Riv stopped in the doorway of the stables and caught her breath. The stables were silent, full of sleeping horses and pegasai, save for one dappled grey. "Hey, Snowfire," Riv said softly to the horse, holding out sugarcubes. Snowfire gently ate the sugarcubes from her palm, ignoring the whinnies of Blackjack. _Get your own,_ Snowfire told him, making Riv laugh. "Sorry Blackjack. I'll tell Percy to get you some sugarcubes later." The pegasus snorted in aknowlegement, and Riv led Snowfire out of the stables. Riv mounted Snowfire, then they galloped out to the beach. After watching the sunrise, Snowfire took Riv back to her cabin. Riv thought she heard some noises coming from the Ares cabin, but quickly dismissed it. _If Snowfire doesn't think that is important, then I don't care. For the most part_. After thanking Snowfire for dropping her off at her cabin, Riv watched Snowfire return to the stables in the early morning light. Then she climbed back through the open window and silently slipped into her bed before anyone noticed her absence. Riv sat on her bed, doodling on a notepad and waiting for breakfast. She sighed, wishing that there was someone else to talk to. Percy was sound asleep, and there was no one else in the cabin. Not fun... Riv got up slipped out the window again, and headed over to the volleyball court. Then she sat down, the sand shifting between her toes. Riv spotted Ivy by the far side of the volleyball courts and waved to her. "Hey!" Riv called.

Ivy paused. "Um ok...Hi?" Ivy said.

Riv jogged over. "Um, hi!" she said cheerily. "_Finally_someone is awake."

"Got cheetos?" Ivy asked.

"Cheetos...?" Riv asked warily. "No..."

"Dang." Ivy sighed. "What's your name." Ivy asked.

"River. But everyone calls me Riv." Riv answers. "What's yours?"

"Ivy. A guy I know...his name is James… have you seen him?" Ivy asked.

"Yeah. But that was yesterday evening. He cut off a dummy's head and it almost beaned me!" Riv says, and her eyes flash silver, then back to blue. "Not cool."

Ivy laughed. "So who is your godly parent." She asked.

Riv opened the water bottle she was carrying with her. Setting it on the ground, Riv called up the water and made it envelop her hand, tendrils of water snaking out to Ivy. "Poseidon."

James walked on the scene, and put an arm around Ivy. "What's up?" he said to them both.

Ivy yelped. "Water!" She squeaked.

Riv just stared at Ivy. _What could be wrong with water?_

"I _hate_ water." She said with a scared look on her face, she shadow traveled away.

James glared at Riv. "Are you happy now?" he said, running off to find Ivy.

Riv gives a cry of surprise. "Wait! I-...didn't do anything...?"

Ivy was hypervenalating. All she could think about was drowning.

"Ivy! Ivy!" James called for her.

Riv felt terrible about chasing away her new-and only-friend. _Well, at least I know she's a daughter of Hades..._"Ivy! Come out! Please?" Riv shouted. "I'm so sorry!"

Ivy's fists clenched and she came back to earth. "Huh. I-I'm here." She said.

Following the sound of Ivy's voice, Riv runs toward her, anxious to make amends for her mistake. "Ivy!" Riv pants, relieved to have found her. "Look, I'm really sorry. I hadn't known that you didn't like water..." Riv trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"It's fine." Ivy sighed.

"Are you sure?" Riv looked into Ivy's eyes, trying to read her emotions. _Dammit, I can't read emotions. Well duh, I'm not a satyr_. But Riv had this funny dream once... she thought about it, off topic.

Ivy was getting a little creeped out. She tapped the ground twice and a skeleton of a kitten popped out of the ground. She began to rub it's spine.

"Oh, and you're creeped out by me?" Riv asks. She had the whole emotion-reading thing under way after all. "I'm sorry, it doesn't help for me to critisize you. Nice, uh, dead kitten... I love kittens..." Riv laughs, thinking of her friend's eight kittens back home at the Terrace.

"Yup." Ivy sighed.

Riv gives Ivy a quizzical look. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me what's bugging you? If not, I'll leave it alone. But feel free to tell me whenever."

James walked up behind Riv. "Haven't you done enough?" he asked her.

Riv spins around and gives James her best _Don't mess with me_glare. "If you were here, you would know that I am actually trying to _comfort_Ivy. Gods, get with the program." Riv crosses her arms and. "Humph."

James put on his best death glare. "Maybe you should leave." he said, defending himself, only wanting to help his (unnofficial) girlfriend.

Riv shoots mental daggers at James, still staring him down with her tricolored eyes. Then she looks down at Ivy and her gaze softens. "Maybe we should ask Ivy's opinion." Riv sits down next to Ivy and asks, "What do you think?"

James looked at Ivy, several emotions such as worry, sorrow, and guiltiness running through his eyes.

"Stop fusing over me. Become friend." She shrugged.

Riv's eyes flash silver, then become tricolored once more. "Alright." Riv holds out her hand. "Friends?"

James nodded. He took her hand and shook it rather tightly, signaling he still was not fond of Riv.

Ivy yawned. "I think I should go take a nap. I tired." She said getting up and walking toward her cabin.

Riv wiped her hand on her jeans; she also disliked her new "friend". "Bye Ivy." Riv patted Ivy's back then spun on her heel and walked up to the pavillion for breakfast.

James walked after Riv. "Let's make one thing clear," he said, in a threatening manner. "If you ever hurt Ivy like you did, you won't live to regret it."

Riv turned to face James, a scowl on her face. "In case you didn't notice before, she had asked me a question, and I was answering it." Riv answered defensively. "How was I supposed to know that she dislikes water? Did _you_even know that?"

James nodded. "You still didn't need to be a freaking SHOWOFF about it." he pointed out. "I'm a son of Ares, I don't go around killing people to prove it."

Her comeback countered, Riv growls. "Well, excuse me for proving my parentage. Just leave me alone, and hope I don't lose control like last night. It's a good thing I had stopped myself. Next time, you might not be so lucky." Riv spun around and ran the rest of the way up to the pavillion, leaving the threat hanging in the air.

James looked after her, and in his anger, brought our his claymore and chopped down the nearest tree in one swing.


	5. A Dead Girl and a Brave Boy

Thorgil woke up for the third time that night. Finally deciding not to sleep, she stumbled toward the training arena. In the training arena, Thorgil splashed some water onto her face and shivered. _Nothing like the cold Montanna water._ Bonecruher snaked his head into the training arena. He gave a snort, and Thorgil whirled. Seeing her friend, Thorgil relaxed and swung herself onto Bonecrusher's back. Bonecrusher squeezed through the doors and launched himself into the starry night sky. They circled over camp, and Thorgil stared at Layne's cabin, wishing that he would emerge. Once at the right height, Bonecrusher sped off toward the mountain, a golden object glitering at its peak. At the peak of the mountain, Thorgil dismounted Bonecrusher and crunched through the snow to the golden harp. Bonecrusher settled next to a rock then waited for Thorgil to begin. Slipping off her gloves, Thorgil began to strum the strings of the magical harp. Bonecrusher closed his eyes and drifted off, and the winds quieted as well. The only sound heard on the mountaintop was the sound of the magical harp. Thorgil lost herself, drifting off into daydreams while she expertly fingered the strings. Clouds obscured the mountain, and for this Thorgil was glad. _No one must know anout this weakness. Though with the magical powers of the harp, it can hardly be considered a weakness._Thorgil allowed herself a small smile. Layne wondered about Petra. He hadn't actually felt her pulse-was there a possibility that she wasn't dead? But after seeing what Skoll-that monster-had done to her...there was no way. Thorgil lingered longer than usual, and only emerged from her thoughts when she noticed the pink tinge of the clouds and the harp disappearing in her hands. _Sunset!_Thorgil said a few choice words, then tapped Bonecrusher on the snout and mounted him. Together they glided down from the mountain, taking advantage of the thinning cloud cover. By the time they had landed, the sun was already up.

Layne was waiting outside Thorgil's cabin. "Where you been?" he asked, a sly smile playing his lips.

Thorgil dismounted Bonecrusher and scratched behind his ear. Bonecrusher closed his eyes for a second then launched back into the air. Thorgil then took her own sweet time answering Layne. "Oh, off in the air, somewhere. Hence the dragon, duh."

Layne laughed, and then his eye caught on something behind Thorgil, behind the dragon. A figure, covered in tattered black robes, stumbling toward the cabins...

_Could it be?_

Layne began running.

Thorgil whirled and drew her axe, the blade glimmering wickedly in the light of dawn. Seeing the figure, Thorgil's eyebrows knit together in confusion._That looks like..._She began striding toward the figure, axe still drawn.

Layne turned, telling Thorgil to put her sword away.

The figure stumbled, collapsing on the ground. Layne got to her first...it was Petra.

_No._

Thorgil sheathed her massive axe and ran to help Layne with the figure. Seeing Petra, Thorgil recoiled. _It can't be..._

"Thorgil," Layne said, as Petra groaned. "Help me."

Thorgil sighed in defeat. _Ugh. Of all the days to have to be a good person..._But she lifted Petra up anyways, then carried her to the infirmary.

Layne sat in a spare chair, wondering what this meant.

_But if she's here...?_

_What the Hel is going on?_Thorgil thought, laying Petra in a spare bed and sitting down next to Layne.

"Thanks" Layne muttered.

Thorgil didn't respond, but was lost in a sea of thoughts as turbulent as the oceans she used to sail across with her father.

Thorgil refocused and looked at Layne. "What does this all mean? I-Petra, I thought she was, y'know, dead." Thorgil stared at Petra's gaunt face as if it held all the answers. _Maybe it does..._ Thorgil shook her head. _Impossible. We've just got to figure this out the hard way..._

"So...so did I."

Petra groaned in her sleep and rolled, so her right wrist faced the ceiling.

"Do you see that?"

It was a black mark on the inside of her wrist. (|-\)

"I'm not blind!" Thorgil exclaimed, grabbing Petra's wrist to better inspect the mark. _This better not be what I think it is..._

"Her...her mark," Layne said almost inaudibly.

Thorgil stared at Layne in disbelief. "Then she shouldn't have come back. I mean, if she was dead, then she would've stayed dead. What's she doing here?" she asked. As usual, Thorgil had all the bluntness of a mace and didn't care to remedy it. Thorgil leaned back into her chair and let her thoughts wander. She couldn't get over how much her life was like the songs by her favorite band, Switchfoot. _I've made my mistakes,_she silently sang, _I've seen others' hearts cave in, I've got my scars, Petra's been to Hel and back again._

What could it mean, Petra coming back.

_The Norns have something for us._

He never would've thought this, but now that he had...

"I need to think," he said, excusing himself from the situation.

All Thorgil had left to do was stare at Petra's body, wishing that something would happen.

Thorgil stared at Petra some more, then started to shake her shoulders, getting more and more impatient. "Wake up!"

Petra heard a hushed, yet urgent, "Wake up."

_No,_ she thought. _I want to sleep in._

And that's when she realized she wasn't dead anymore.

Because dead people don't sleep. Or think.

Her eyes flew open.

Thorgil sat back, feeling satisfied. _I guess I should call Layne back...but I have some information to get first. "_Welcome back among the living," Thorgil said, staring into Petra's fierce eyes.

"I...I'm back?" Petra's eyebrows raised suspiciously. It hurt to talk, but she had to keep going. "How do I know this isn't just another one of _her_ tricks." She flinched as she said 'her'.

"Yeah, you're back." Thorgil said in her best "Duh" voice. "What, was I in Hel too?" She laughed at her little joke, but sobered quickly and glared at Petra, daring her to say yes.

"Never mind," Petra said, putting a hand to her head. "Is...is Antonio around?"

"Nah, he went back to his cabin." Thorgil leaned forward in her chair. "So how'd you die? Was it painful? Did you die honorably? Or did you just sit there like a stupid thrall while some monster mowed you down?" Thorgil was showing her usual interest in death: she wanted to know all the details and how to get into Valhalla instead of Hel.

Petra stared uncomprehendingly at Thorgil. "I...I don't remember."

She paused before saying. "I don't remember anything before entering Hel."

Thorgil layed back, obviously disappointed. "Then what was Hel like?"

"Boring."

"As I expected." Thorgil sighed, then handed Petra a glass of water. "Drink it. It has healing powers."

Petra hoped Thorgil couldn't tell she'd been lying about the boring part. Hel was torturous, seeing the future, the past, all your friends dying.

The water had healing powers, and it also had calming powers. Petra had begun to hype up (help please) on terrifying visions of the future, and she sighed audibly as she drank.

"Thanks."

Petra could feel herself nodding off, but she had one more request.

"Antonio."

"Yeah, yeah." Thorgil said, getting up. "Just don't die while I'm gone." Thorgil left the room and quietly closed the door behind her, silently thanking the gods that Petra hadn't noticed the absence of magical powers in the water. But a little Montanna water always calmed everybody down: it was just one of the perks of the location. Thorgil left the infirmiry and walked over to Layne's cabin, her dogs leaping at her heels.

Layne wondered if Petra had woken up yet. He spent most of his time lately thinking of her, a fact which would not have made Thorgil happy.

Speak of the devil...

He caught a glimpse of said girl walking over. Well, it was less of a walk than a storm.

Thorgil felt the presence of a cackling, energy-filled being as she STORMed toward Layne's cabin. A faint voice asked, _What__now?_Thorgil whirled, searching for the source of the voice. Finding none, she knocked on Layne's cabin door, then opened it. Ignoring the outbursts from Layne's cabinmates, Thorgil grabbed said boy and pulled him up the hill to the infirmiry, dogs still leaping around her.

"Hey," Layne protested. "Hey, watch where you-HEY! Where are we going!"

He wrenched his arm out of Thorgil's incredibly strong grip, an experience he didn't want repeated. "What's going on?"

Thorgil whirled and gave Layne her deluxe _Why-did-you-do-that-oh-well-now-I-just-might-kill-you-for-your-insolence_stare. "Petra's awake. Why else would I enter your mess of a cabin and drag your sorry butt around?"

That instantly got Layne moving. "Let's go," he called. "Keep up."

Thorgil gave an exhasperated groan as she sprinted after Layne. Naturally, her dogs beat them to the infirmiry, but Thorgil bid them to stay outside as she and Layne entered the building.

"Are...are you okay?" Layne asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"I...I think so," Petra said, dazed. "Why am I here?"

Layne shot Thorgil a look, clearly saying, _You can handle this one._

"Gee, thanks Layne!" Thorgil said, clearly not giving a dragon's behind that Petra would probably be confused and possibly offended. "Well, Petra, I was kinda hoping that you would tell us. But the Norns must have something in mind, so help me." Thorgil looked to Layne. "Your turn." she said with a sickly-sweet smile.

"Oh, for the love of Verdandi! Truth is, Petra, we have no idea."

"Thanks for the help," Petra said, not meaning for it to be taken sarcastically.

"Yeah, we're just innocently trying to explain something to you, but you choose to be sarcastic." Thorgil exclaimed, "Great. Just peachy. I'm outta here." Thorgil started STORMing toward the door. _What do you want?_asked the voice impatiently, and Thorgil whirled. "What did you say?"

"Me?" Layne was slightly confused. "I didn't say anything."

Thorgil shrugged. It is not honorable to pick a fight with your love or a wounded "friend," so she spun on her heel and left the room.

Petra noticed Layne's eyes rolling. "Something's going on between you," she guessed.

He put his hand to his head. "I forgot how good you were at reading people."

"You knew me before?" she asked, her voice betraying her feeling of excitement. "What was I like?"

"Y-you have no idea?"

Petra would've answered that no, she had no clue, but she saw the hurt in Layne's eyes. She kept silent, but even that seemed to tip him off.

Thorgil made sure that she was seen leaving, then doubled back, hiding beneath the window of Petra's room. Thorgil made sure to give a sharp glare to anyone who looked at her funny.

"No?"

Petra turned away. "They wipe the memories of the dead. They think it makes them cooperate more. But even the dead know that...that they're being tortured."

Thorgil stiffened, immediately knowing that Petra had lied to her. She then growled like Shreddie when he first met Bonecrusher. But silently.

"Tortured?" There was a note of protectiveness in Layne's voice. "What was going on?"

Petra shook her head, refusing to say more. Then she cracked.

"Just...just GO AWAY!" she screamed, half in terror, half enraged. "LEAVE ME ALONE! My life would've been better...WITHOUT YOU!"

Thorgil flinched. _Geez, that girl's shattered mind has got to be lying strewn around in Hel or something. She shouldn't have come back._

"SOMEONE! HELP!" Layne was screaming too, now.

Thorgil groaned, then stood up, brushed off her jeans, and vaulted herself through the open window. She shot a glance at Layne. "Ask me no questions and I will tell you no lies."

"Just help me," Layne said, shaking his head, eyes wide with fear.

Thorgil almost laughed at how much he looked like a frightened goat. Eyes all big-she shook her head to clear it, then asked, "I await your orders." _Enjoy it while you can, because this will not last,_she thought.

"I...I don't know what to do," he admitted. _There, I said it,_ he thought. _It'll be the last time, too._

"Gah. I have to do everything myself." Thorgil exclaimed, filling a glass of Montanna water. "Hold her down."

Layne tried to gently push her arms down.

Thorgil rolled her eyes. "Um, a little faster with that, Layne. She _did_just tell you to go away, so let's try not to be to sentimental whilst saving her, shall we not?" Thorgil started slowly pouring a bit of water down Petra's throat, gently making her swallow it. ((Contrary to her reprimand)) She hoped the water would help knit Petra's shattered mind back together...bit...by...bit...

Gray. That's what Petra saw first. Just...gray. She began to panic. This was what it was like in Hel. What if she was here for good? What if this never stopped? What if...?

Slowly, Thorgil's face came into focus. Okay, not what she would've preferred, but better than nothing.

Thorgil gave Petra a grim smile, then shoved the glass of water into her hands. "Drink."

Petra gulped it down, taking shaky breaths every once in a while.

"You back?" Thorgil asked, settling back into a chair. "Not gonna freak out, scream at anybody, do any of that crap?"

Petra popped her neck. "Sorry," she said.

"Eh." Thorgil waved the apology away, then looked at Layne, her eyes asking, _Are you okay?_

_What? Other than someone I've thought was dead for three years coming back, I'd say I was just great._

Thorgil's eyes narrowed, but before she could say anything, Jackson burst into the room. "How can I help?" he asked, taking in Layne, Petra, and Thorgil. "I'm too late, aren't I?"

But Petra had noticed. He had been in her Visions, but she had never met him. Who was he? She wanted to ask Layne, but didn't dare trust Thorgil. At least not yet. But she shot Jackson a glance through the window.

"Well, she's not dead," Layne said. He could hear Thorgil snickering even before she did.

Jackson's face turned an unmanly shade of pink, then Thorgil outright laughed. "Nice try, Jackson," she said, clapping him on the back. "A valliant effort, but FAIL!"

"Oh, I-okay." Jackson stammered, turning to leave. He did this slowly, silently pleading for someone to call him back.

"Wait," Petra said. "Do..do I know you?"

Jackson turned, relieved, then stammered, "I-I don't know...maybe." He had seen her in a dream, but didn't want to reveal anything to personal within earshot of Thorgil, who would surely gun him down. So he relied on his eyes to get the message across, _I have seen you._

She didn't get the whole message, but she knew he was trying to say something. "Oh." She turned back, staring at her knees, as if they could tell her the secrets of the universe.

Thorgil let out a noisy breath. "Well, I'm going to go get some lunch. Welcome back, Petra, and hello Jackson." She looked at Layne. "You coming?"

Layne shrugged like it wasn't a bad idea. "Petra? Can we get you something?"

"No, it's okay."

Layne left reluctantly, following Thorgil.

"So...you wanted to tell me something?" Petra started.

"I saw you in a dream." Jackson began. "I...don't know, but you were burning...I reached out to help, but I got burned and the connection was severed." Jackson held out his left hand and pulled off the black leather blove, showing angry red skin underneath. "Worse than a dragon, eh?" he tried to joke.

Petra gave a small smile, but then returned to subject. "Burning? You sure it was burning?" Her voice was a little louder than usual.

Jackson shuddered. "Yeah, it was burning. There was a wispy-solid coal-black dragon breathing fire on you. Actually, there was a ring of them. All had black eyes, bottomless..." He trailed off and sat down, shivering. "You...you were screaming. You were screaming bloody murder, actually. The way you fought it...they should've put you in Vallhalla to begin with..." Jackson inspected Petra's gaunt face, his eyes filled with permanent respect.

Her eyes narrowed. "Black dragons," she repeated in a voice so low, it was almost a whisper. "How many?" Louder this time.

"Six." Jackson whispered, lost in the horror of the dream.

Petra visibly deflated. "Six..." She began to shake her head violently. "No, no, no..."

Several lines appeared in her head.

_Six dragons of black, two come back_

_To the home they had before._

_One stays there, one forgotten care,_

_And four attacked by the boar._

Jackson was totally clueless. All he knew was that Petra was in pain, terrified pain. He sat down on the bed and put a protective arm around Petra, as if he could protect her from her pain. "What is it?" he asked softly.

Her lips tightened. "I...I'm sorry, I can't tell." She didn't look at him, she refused to look him in the eye, she wouldn't look...

Of course, as soon as she made eye contact, she only found comfort there.

Jackson looked her in the eyes, those sad grey eyes, and wished he could take some of that sadness away. "Alright." Jackson knew better than to try to get a girl to talk when she wasn't ready. He'd had plenty of experience with that. "I'll always be here, but you don't ever have to tell me if you don't want to."

"You know what?" Petra said. "If I knew your name, I would think you're pretty cool."

Jackson laughed, then face-palmed. "I didn't even tell you my name! Geez, I cannot believe how forgetful I am sometimes." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Jackson."

"Petra," she said, shaking his hand.

"Well, Petra, pleased to meet you." Jackson said, ever-so-smooth.

"Yeah, same here," Petra said. "Well...you gonna go get dinner or something?"

_Awkward. This is one form of torture Hel needs to pick up on._

"Oh. Oh, yeah, I guess." Jackson replied, disappointed that he had to leave. He got up and left, waving as he passed the window from outside.

Petra smiled, then returned to her own mind. The vision with the dragons weighed on her—she couldn't get it out of her head. _What does it mean?_


	6. Lack of Plot

**And this is what happens when your two good friends are bored and you don't show up. This chapter right here. I apologize in advance for the lack of plotline.**

Riv woke with a start. She didn't reccognize the white walls of the room, but then the memories came flooding back. _I'm in the Big House._ _Oh gods...I...oh, what did I do? _Riv checked herself for wounds. _A broken wrist and a sprained ankle...Well, it could be worse. I guess I'm not playing soccer or softball anytime soon.._ Riv chucked, then swung her legs around and over the side of the bed so she was in a sitting position. Upon finding a glass of nectar, Riv took measured sips. Soon she felt better, then limped to the window. There Riv stood, balanced on her good leg, watching the other campers.

James walked in. "How are you feeling?" he asked her.

Riv spun around at James' voice, but then just slumped her shoulders. _It's not like he's going to hurt me or anything. It wasn't he who put me in here._ "I'm alright" Riv answered, then sat back down on her bed.

James held out her dagger, now fixed. "This is yours." he said, but suddenly dropped it behind him by accident. He then truned around to pick it up, and when he bent over, the waistband of his white briefs was exposed.

Riv grimaced and looked away. "Gods, James. Pull up your pants!" Then Riv laughed and pulled out a small plastic pouch of SweetTarts. She popped one into her mouth. "Want some?"

James blushed and turned around fast as lightning. "S-sure." he said, still read as a tomato.

Riv laughed and took her dagger from James' hand. Then she poured a few SweetTarts into his now-empty hand.

James smiled and laughed after popping the SweetTarts into his mouth. "Well, that was better than what Ivy did." he said. "She gave me a wedgie for wearing these." he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Riv laughed again. "Hmmm..." she chuckled.

James laughed, looking a her quickly. "Please don't tell me I gave you any ideas..." he said

Riv gave James an evil grin, quickly changing it back to her regular smile. "Nah, you're safe."

James sighed. "In reality, I probably deserve something like that for being such a bastard to you." he said,

"Yeah, maybe." Riv agreed. "But I am _not _touching your tightey-whiteys." Riv gave a small laugh.

James chuckled. "Am I not good enough for you?" he said, feigning indignation.

Riv snootily looked away with a "Hmph." Then she smiled andpoured a few more SweetTarts into James' hand.

James smirked. "Want me to do it?" he joked.

"Uhm, no thank you." Riv replied.

"I was just kidding!" James said. "So, how bad is it?"

Riv looked at her arm. "Well, it's not too bad. It just kinda, well, hurts."

James shrugged. "I feel bad because I'm the reason you got hurt. Anything I can do to make it up to you?" he asked.

"It's fine. And it wasn't you who hurt me..." Riv insisted. "It's...complicated."

James shook his head. "Anything. A free shot, or something like that. I'll do anythiong to make it up to you."

"Just be my friend." Riv said. "I-now that I know you, you're not the devil I thought you were." Riv gave a shaky laugh. "I'm sorry for being such a...uh.." Riv trailed off, searching for the right word.

James nodded, giving her a tight hug.

"Ow." Came Riv's muffled cry.

James pulled away quickly. "Just got a bad memory of Ivy giving me a wedgie through a hug." he explained.

Riv laughed, glad to be free of the tight embrace. Then she began rubbing her slightly crushed arm. "I thought I told you, I have no intentions of touching your tightey-whiteys."

James turned around "You know you want to." he joked, fake teasing her.

Riv laughed. "No, I'm pretty sure I don't."

James laughed. "Are you too good for my underwear?" he asked her in mock anger.

"Seeing as you're _wearing _them... Let's see...I think yes." Riv teased.

James smirked. "Well," he said. "maybe YOU need a wedgie."he joked with an evil smirk.

Riv thought about running away, but she knew she couldn't. "No fair!" she said instead with a smile. "What about my foot? I couldn't even get downstairs if I tried!"

James smiled, going on the other side of the bed, to Riv's backside.

"Noo!" Riv squealed, jumping up onto her uninjured foot.

James stopped her, grabbing her midsection and pulling her back on the bad."You need to stay off that foot." he instructed.

"Aw!" Riv complained. "They didn't stop Percy from going downstairs even _after _he got stung by that pit scorpion!" But she obliged, sitting back down on the bed.

James then quickly pulled her panties in the air, giving her a whopper of a wedgie! James snickered. "Lace?" he asked with a smirk.

"Ooowww!" Riv howled, her cheeks turning pink. "Not cool, man. Not cool."

James chuckled. "Hey, what're you gonna do?" he challenged her playfully.

"Not going to give you a wedgie." Riv growled. Instead, she punched him with her uningered arm.

James smirked as the punch did little effect. "But seriously, lace?" he teased her.

"Shuttup." Riv growled, then lying down on the bed. In the process, she kicked James off. "Ha-ha."

James fell on the floor, his tighty whiteys exposed again.

"Gods James, I'm actually starting to thing you _want_ a wedgie." Riv said crossly, smiling all the while.

James shrugged. "I really don't care either way." he said, not moving from his position.

"Oh, get up." Riv said, rolling her eyes and nudging James with her foot. "I'm not giving you a wedgie."

James stood up. "You never answered me." he said with an evil smirk, standing up. "Why lace?"

"Not my choice." Riv said, a light blush starting in her face. "My mom got me those...and I wasn't expecting a wedgie from a weird kid." Riv stuck her tongue out at James.

James blushed, and lightly hit Riv in the arm. "So, I just wanted to clear something up with you." he said.

Riv sat up and looked at James. "Yeah? What?"

"Ivy." he said. "She and I are kinda dating now. Just making sure you knew." he said.

"I could kinda tell." Riv assured James. "Y'know, a girl's intuition." Riv smiled.

James shrugged. "So, what do you want to do now?" he asked her.

"Hmm...what do I want to do...?" Riv wondered aloud. Then she straightened up as a thought hit her. "Hey, I thought You weren't going to allow me to leave the room. Not that I'm holding you to that..."

James shook his head. "If you're going anywhere, I'll carry you there. I refuse to let you walk on a hurt ankle."

Riv blushed. "Are you sure? I think they have crutches..."

James shook his head. "I looked. None at all."

"Oh, right." Riv thought for a minute. "Is the lake ok?"

"Sure." James said. "Would you prefer I carry you in my arms or back?" he asked.

"You mean bridal style of piggy-back ride?" Riv countered jokingly.

"Essentially." James confirmed.

"Ah, piggy-back ride." Riv said with a grin.

James bent over, which, GUESS WHAT, revealed his Fruit of the Loom tighty whities again. "Hop on." he said.

With a smile, Riv lightly slaps James' back before boarding. "All set. Just, please make sure not to hit my head on the doorframe." Riv reminded him.

James nodded, getting them to the lake in a flash. "Hey," he asked her. "You want to go swimming?" he asked. "I mean, just go a little deep, to cool off."

Riv hmm'ed, then said, "I wonder what else we would do at the lake, besides swimming." Riv laughed, then jumped in with a splash, taking care to splash as much water James' way as she could.

James rubbed the back of his head. "I was going to suggest we change into swimsuits first..." he stated.

Riv popped her head above the water and looked at James. "Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot..." Riv climbed out of the water perfectly dry. Then she lightly touched James' shoulder, causing him to dry. "Better?"

James nodded. "So..." he said. "I'll take you back to your cabin, let you change, then go change myself, and come get you, snd we come back here?" he clarified for her.

Riv nodded. "Fine. It just takes _so _much longer." she teased.


End file.
